Small purse lights are very old. Their greatest defect is that they get lost in the purse just as do other objects in the purse, and it may take a minute to find the flashlight so that it can be turned on and the search for the object wanted commenced. Applicant thought that it would be good to have a small light which could be seen in the purse or seen in the dark so that little or no time was lost in locating it. The flashlight disclosed hereinafter attains this end. It is true that it is most effective when the eyes are fully dilated, and hence it is not too helpful in an open purse exposed to sunlight. But the two bands, which are substantially white, at opposite ends of the flashlight are distinctive.
On a nightstand, the flashlight can be seen all night.
In designing the light, the applicant wished to take advantage of the regenerative properties of this phosphorescent material, which is obtainable on the market, and a feature of the invention is the provision of a regenerative or reactivation chamber immediately behind the flashlight reflector with means for introducing a portion of the light when the bulb is energized to regenerate the phosphorescent material. This is accomplished by placing the bottom of the bulb slightly below the plane of the reflector and utilizing a bulb having wire terminals with a glass base.
Another important object of the invention is to provide the flashlight with a universal mounting so that it can be permanently placed adjacent something that one wishes to see. Applicant attaches a pressure-sensitive adhesive. By removing its protective strip, the flashlight may be mounted above a light switch or keyhole. It may be mounted on an automobile steering wheel in such a way that the driver can hold on to the wheel with his right hand, using his thumb to press the wall of the flashlight and raise his left hand so that his wristwatch can be quickly read. It can be placed on a telephone receiver so that the receiver may be held and the thumb placed on the light and pressed so that the user can read the dial.
Another major feature of the invention is utilization of a case having at least one elastic wall and a switch actuateable by pressing the wall of the case.
Another feature is the use of a sleeve to carry the phosphorescent material, which sleeve is rolled from flat material. The phosphorescent material is difficult to apply uniformly unless it lies flat. The first embodiment of this invention shows the inside of the transparent or translucent case lined with phosphorescent material. It is extremely difficult to keep it uniform, whereas the second embodiment shows a split sleeve which was a sleeve of paper, etc., which was flat when the phosphorescent material was applied and remained flat until the phosphorescent material had dried. Or the phosphorescent material may be placed on the outside of the case, where unless protected it will wear off. Or the phosphorescent material may be placed in the material of the case wall itself where it will provide the primary object of htis invention. Doing this, however, results in a non-elastic case wall, and the switch mentioned above cannot be taken advantage of.
There are other features in the design, particularly the switch, and it is positioned on the side of the case opposite to the universal mounting.